Electric refrigerator assembly



GM. 18, 1932. BLQOQ 1,882,752

ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR ASSEMBLY Filed Kay 15. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Howardfi. B60061 a. 38, 1932. H. E. 35.63053 5 1 ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR ASSEMBLY J5\\H i y invsz-ian Haura rd fBZood.

Pate 96.18, 1932 eirso STATES PAW-EMT FFICE moweeis e. or marrow. MICHIGAN, memories. r 110MB comomrrox. A

conromnor or women;

e G EEFBIGERATOB A8814? This invention relates to mechanicsil refrigeration as applied as a unit in individual refri cretor boxes, with particular reference to the domestic or household type of electric refrigeretitog apparatus,

It is an object of this invention to provide a. compact end readily removable electr c refrigereting epparctus that is completely and permanently assembled with. its eveporator or q ireezer took and removable as a, completely operative-unit. 1 cm aware that domestic or household type of refrigerators have been proposed wloerein the compressor and condenser unit has been mounted in the bottom of the reirigeretor box, but heretofore the mechanism mentioned lies heed to be dreiiied or seeded on and disconnected from the freezer tool: before it can be removed from the refrigerator or otherwise @XWzBd n for convenient servicing, in order to overcome these objections, I owe mounted the freezer on eelf-supporting immework also carrying the compreseor and condel lser, the various orto being permerieritly gon ed toge'tiier es on operetive unit oeforc placmg time rerfrigeretor proper, so that the initial factory test of? the unit so formed will not lie liable to be vitioted by the subsequent eseerrlloly osl doe moi-i the refrieeratiog icox. 32) Thus merry choriceiscferror in final assembly and iiiture troubles resulting therefrom are eliminated, in the event that service is required, the entire unit can be removed'from the Eooix am e entire assembly, and if neceseery, replace by e new unit rather than be torn down or, the spot where repair Lia cilitiee ere limited to the eepecityiof the meolienic e hand bag.

(ii-timer end iiirelier importczet obj ects of this invention wiil he eepereiit ifrom the disclosures in :Eoilowing description, which eets the preferred form-oi my invenilio This invention (in o preferred ffiorm) is ile 'lmereted in the drawings and hereinafter more described,

(in the drawings: Figoee l is a front elevation of a; refrigerotor mel refrigeration, apparatus emthe eatum of this invention.

Figure 2 is e vertical section on the line IL-H of Figure 1 with certs shown in olevetion.

As shownon the drawings:

A refrigerator cabinet or box of the metal clad type has been chosen. for iliustrativo purposes, such a box comprising a refrigerating compartment surrounded by insulated walls comprising a top ll, rear wall 12, sides 13 and bottom 14; the front 15 having a subc0 stantielly full opening for e door, (not shown), to render the interior easily accossible,

The refrigerating compartment as'a whole is supported at a convenient distance above, the floor iine by side wall extensions 16 which need not be of an insulated chorocten These side walls 16 together with e lease 1? define machinery compartment 18 below the re frigerotor proper. This compartment 18 is normally closed in front by the usual louvered door, which has been omitted from the drawings, for clearness in the presentation oi the structure most pertinent to the present inveiition. v

A freezer tank 20 embodying the evaporater or expansion unit of e, meckenicel refrigerating apparatus, is positioiied in either upper corner of the resirigeretor compartmeet 10, In the present invention, stepped opening 21, large enough to admit the tank 2%, is iiormed in "thereer well 1% end is by e flush ciosiire 2% having stepped or overieppiog edges 23 engaging e gasket 24. The tank 24} is provided with moimting brackets :25 engaged is nuts 26 edjoetelily eccurod on studs 27 carried by the elosiire 22, so that the freezer cool; 29 and closure 5252 are time as seinliled together as o The closure 22 is iii tore mounted on an upright channel member 128 extending downwerdly to the lease of the refrigerator, this member 28 being detacliobly secured in any suitable manner to the mar wall i2 of the refrigerator,

This member 28 is in efiiect him on the reer well of the refiri eretor and its lower end 29 is provided wit on outstanding foot 30 projecting into the mchinery compartmont. This foot is provided largely to pro- 100 vide stabilit to the assembly presently to be described when the entire unit is removed from the refrigerator as a whole. A bracket 31 is also provided projecting into the machinery compartment near the top thereof to receive pins 32 passing through cars 33 formed on a dome-like casing 34 which comprises a self-contained motor and refrigerant compressor unit. The casing 34 is thus hung from the bracket 31 and thus forms a unitwith the upright member 28 and the freezer tank 20.

A forwardly projecting shelf 35 is preferably attached to the casing 34, although it may be formed as part of the foot 30, to suport a radiator 36 forming both a condenser for the refrigerant and'an oil cooler for the lubricant in the casing 34. A small fan 37 is also mounted on the shelf to draw air through the radiator and in Figure 1 a control box 38 is also shown as carried by the shelf.

The refrigerant piping shown comprises a connection 40 from the casing to the radiator for the hot compressed refrigerant, a connection 41 from the radiator to the freezer tank for condensed refrigerant, and a return connection 42 from the tank to the suction intake at the bottom 43 of the casin 34. The pipes 41 and 42 are led up in the c annel in the upright member 28 and are protected thereby as well as by a cover 44 applied over the channel opening. Adjacent the freezer tanks the pipes are led through a common 45 are tam red w th and an leakage of reparts are still coupled under 0 frigeration or admission 0 air to the system results in lowered efliciency aside from the annoyance caused householders. By so permanently joining the refrigeration piping it is not necessary to provide a large volume of excess refrigerant to make u for possible losses. The entire assembly 0 compressor, condenser and freezer are thus permanently mounted on a framework comprising the upright member and the bracket and foot, the entire unit so formed being readily removed from the refrigerator box should servicing be required. As so removed, all the rative conitions so that the o ration of t e entire unit can be observed to etermine the need of adjustments. A further advantage of this per- 'the channel membe It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved and self-contained refrigerating unit particularly adapted to household use because of its compactness and the ease of removal and replacement of the entire operating mechanism as a unit.

I am aware that many changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A domestic refrigerating unit comprising a refrigerator casing having a compartment therebeneath with rear openings into both the casing and the compartment, a closure for said opening into the casing, a freezer unit mounted thereon, a channeled connecting member secured to said closure and extending downwardly behind said compartment, a compressor and condenser unit in said compartment, and supporting means attached to said connecting member for mounting said compressor and condenser unit in fixed relationship with the closure and freezer unit.

2. A domestic refrigerating unit comprising a refri erator casing having a compartment there neath with rear openings into both the casing and the compartment, a closure for said opening into the casing, a freezer unit mounted thereon, a channeled connectin member secured to said closure and extending downwardly behind said compartment, a compressor and condenser unit in said compartment, supporting means attached to said connecting member for mounting said compressor and condenser unit in fixed relationship with the closure and freezer unit, and permanent piping connections from said freezer to said compressor and condenser unit, said piping being positioned in r. 3. A domestic refrigerating unit comprising a refri erator casing havmg-a com artment there eneath with-openings into both the casing and the compartment, a closure for said opening into the casing, a freezer unit mounted thereon, a channeled connect,- ing member secured to said closure and exment, a compressor and condenser unit in said compartment, and supporting means attached to said connecting member for mounting said compressor and condenser unit in fixed relationship with the closure and freezer unit.

4. A refrigerating unit comprising a refrigerator body having a refrigerating compartment su rimposed upon a compartment for the mec anical refrigerating apparatus and rearward openings formed in both compartments, a channeled framework extending up the back of-the body and detachably secured thereto, a closure for the refrigerating compartment opening secured to said framework, a freezer unit mounted on the inner face of said closure, a horizontal bracket secured to the framework, a mechanical refrigerating apparatus supported by said horizontal bracket within the lower compartment, and piping connecting said freezer with said mechanical refrigerating apparatus and arranged in proximity to said framework to be protected from in ury thereby.

5. A refrigerating unit comprising a refrigerator body having a refrigerating compartment superimposed upon a compartment for the mechanical refrigerating apparatus and openings formed in both compartments, a framework comprising a horizontal bracket extending into the lower compartment and a channeled vertical member extending up the back of the body and detachably secured thereto, a closure for the refrigerating compartment opening secured to said vertical member, a freezer unit mounted on the inner partment rear opening, a freezer unit within face of said closure, and mechanical refrigcrating apparatus supported by said horizontal bracket within the lower compartment.

6. In a refrigerator, a refrigerator compartment, a freezing unit therein, a second compartment, a compressing and condensing unit therein, unitary supporting means con-' necting said freezing unit with said compressing and condensing unit, said supporting means being detachably mounted on one wall of the refrigerator whereby the entire refrigerating apparatus is detachable as a unit from the refrigerator, and a supporting foot formed on said supporting. means to provide stability for the unit when removed from the refrigerator.

7. In a refrigerator, a refrigerator compartment, a freezing unit therein, a second compartment, a compressing and condensing unit therein, permanently sealed pipe connections between said freezer and said compressing and condensing unit, unitary supporting means connecting said freezing unit with said compressing and condensing unit, said supporting means being detachably mounted on one wall of the refrigerator whereby the entire refrigerating apparatus is detachable as a unit from the refrigerator, and a supporting foot formed on said supporting means to provide stability for the unit when removed from the refrigerator.

8. A refrigerating unit comprising a cabinet having a heat insulated upper compartment and a lower compartment, both compartments having openings at the rear thereof, an insulated closure for the upper com said upper compartment mounted on said closure, mechanical refrigerating apparatus within said lower compartment, conduits connectmg said freezer unit and said refrigeratmg apparatus and a rigid frame having a channel therein for said conduits, said frame being securedto said closure and to said refrigerating apparatus and detachably secured to the rear wall of said cabinet to permit the removal from the cabinet of the entire operating mechanism as a unit.

9. A refrigerating unit comprising a cabinet having a heat insulated upper compartment and a lower compartment, both compartments having openings at the rear thereof, an insulated closure for the upper compartment rear opening, a freezer unit within said upper compartment mounted on said closure, mechanical refrigerating apparatus withinsaid lower compartment, piping extending along the outside of the rear wall of the cabinet through said closure to connect said refrigerating apparatus and said freezer unit, and a rigid frame secured to said closure and to said refrigerating apparatus and detachably secured to the rear wall of said cabinet to permit the removal from the cabinet of the entire operative mechanism as a unit, said frame comprising an angular structural member serving also to protect the'outside run of said piping.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name at Detroit, Wayne County, 

